Patient Flow Facilitator (Band 3)

Job overview

To coordinate the patient journey through the Emergency Department. To facilitate the achievement of the national targets to ensure that patients are seen, treated, admitted or discharged within four hours of their arrival.

Ensures that the department is clean, tidy and provides a safe environment for patients and staff.

To offer administration support within the main ED department as required.

To be the patients and relatives point of contact, ensuring support for them in the clinical environment providing information regarding progress and timescales bearing in mind changes in clinical priorities that may delay their treatment.

Basic supportive nursing care for patients in ED eg: ECG recording, physiological observations etc

Jointly responsible for stock ordering via the Trusts electronic ordering system.

Assisting department staff to reflect on issues of patient flow performance in ED related to the 4 hour operational standard and ambulance turnaround times.

Main duties of the job

• Take an active role in the coordination, informing patients within the ED department
• Act as a focal point for staff in the facilitation of an improved flow/ movement of patients in and out of the department at all points of the journey. Identifies and understands obstacles to patient flow and actively works to support removing
• In conjunction with the Nurse in Charge and Consultant in Charge, escalate any issues to the Clinical Site Manager that may impact on capacity and flow.
• Ensure all those involved in the current and onward care of the patients carry out their assessments and related activities in a timely manner; this will require liaison with other professionals including doctors, nurses, and the wider multi-disciplinary team.
• Makes judgements related to effective patient flow in the ED and wider health
• Liaise with the nurse in charge, medical staff, and wider services to maintain information
• Liaise with the nurse in charge to arrange patient transfers to the wards or patient transport and maintain systems to ensure that this happens in a timely
• Provide a patient liaison role to ensure that patients and their relatives are fully informed, in the right place and at the right time and aware of any possible issues.

For further information and full details of the job role, please see the attached job description and person specification.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Makes judgements on facts and situations: continually assessing the patient journey times and acting to improve patient
• Problem solving on a daily
• Able to demonstrate own activities to less experienced

• Provides and receives routine information, able to utilise tact and persuasive skills
• Is required to demonstrate an ability to be empathetic and
• Communicates with patients, relatives and colleagues using a range of communication skills including verbal, written, interpersonal and
• Is aware of te changing circumstances / needs and proactively responds by discussion and negotiation with associated staff
• Help to develop strong working relationships with ward teams, patient flow team and colleagues from across health and social care to contribute to a culture that ensures patients are in the right place at the right time.
• To possess good communication skills in order to liaise with a wide range of people, both internal and external to the service and trust, on a range of personal and administrative issues, some of which will require independent judgement.
• Work without direct supervision within defined parameters and has agreed standards and results to be achieved.
• Exercise judgement in relation to all enquiries, resolving, bringing to the attention of the department team or redirecting as appropriate.
• Maintain strict adherence to trust and departmental policies and systems in particular those relating to patient confidentiality data protection.
• Communicate with a wide variety of directors, managers, consultants, senior nurses, hospital staff, other agencies, requiring effective interpersonal skills.
• Actively participate in discussions about services/ policy developments and other organizational initiatives that affect professional and working environment.

• Uses continuing professional development to ensure knowledge and skills are

Undertakes data collection for surveys and audits as

• prepares and maintains a clean, tidy and safe environment for patients, staff and visitors
• Uses physical skills to manoeuvre patient, trolleys and equipment in a manner that protects the patient and environmental
• Works within the ED setting, which will require the post holder to be involved in stressful situations and

• Creating lists of patients for discharge using existing templates and IT systems
• Contribute suggestions for the improvement of clerical and administrative services to support the deliver of objectives within the department
• Ensure that all information received within the department is handled confidentially.
• Treat everyone with equity and respect and ensure appropriate standards of behaviour are maintained within the department